JONATHAN

Born five years prior to the coronation of Queen Victoria circa 1832, Jonathan the tortoise is due to turn 191 years old this year (2023). That makes him the oldest-known land animal alive today.

​In his lifetime, Jonathan has lived through two world wars, the Russian Revolution, seven monarchs on the British throne and 40 US presidents.

​Although originating from the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean, Jonathan has resided on the remote island of St Helena in the South Atlantic since 1882. St Helena is perhaps best known for being the final resting place of Napoleon Bonaparte who was exiled there after his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

​Jonathan was gifted to the then-governor of the Overseas British territory, William Grey-Wilson (in office 1890–97), and he has lived at the governor’s residence ever since. His home is the manicured lawns of "Plantation", a Georgian mansion where he shares the grounds with three other giant tortoises, David, Emma and Fred.

​Jonathan’s species, the Seychelles Giant Tortoise was once believed to be extinct, but there now may be around 80 globally, according to the IUCN’s Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. He is already well beyond his kind’s 150-year average lifespan but Jonathan is in surprisingly good health although he is virtually blind due to cataracts and seems to have lost all sense of smell, but retains excellent hearing and a healthy appetite.